Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in sesame seeds and cook until golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Pour dressing into a sealable container, and set aside.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jul 24, 2005

I brought some in to work for a friend of mine (who happens to be a gourmet cook) to taste. She said it was fabulaous & one of the best pasta salads she'd ever had. I used whole wheat shells and substituted Splenda for the sugar. I think it would be good with whole wheat angel hair pasta & I'm going to try adding some broccoli florets cut up & a little grated carrot for color next time. Shrimp would probably be a nice substitute for the chicken as well.

YUM. I was put in charge of brining a salad to a weekend BBQ and I got the most compliements of the day with this one! I did add some water chestnuts for some crunch (without changing the flavor of the salad). I will be making this time and time again this summer as I am sure everyone I gave the recipe at the BBQ will. This can be served alone as a main course too.

I tried this over the weekend to accompany our BBQ and this was excellent. It could even be the main course as it got the most compliments of anything else served. Nice and fresh and perfect for the hot day we had. You may want to double this recipe, I did and it still went quick.

I gave the original recipe as written 3 stars; but 4 stars with adjustments and additions I made to “jazz” up the salad. I boiled tri-colored rotini pasta in salted water. Chopped up some leftover rotisserie chicken and set aside. For the dressing, I used 3T low-sodium soy sauce, 2T sugar and 3T white wine vinegar. I seasoned the dressing with Hawaiian sea salt, black pepper and some fresh grated ginger. I also put about 1T of toasted sesame seeds to the dressing. Instead of veg/canola oil I used 2 T of sesame oil for flavor; and, fresh cilantro in place of parsley for another layer of flavor. Once I drained the pasta, I poured half of the dressing over it and chilled in the refrigerator for 4 hours. I tossed in fresh baby spinach, chicken and the remainder of the dressing. This needed some color and texture so I added sugar snap peas, carrots, julienned, and cherry tomatoes, quartered. I garnished with green onions, sliced, more cilantro and a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds. This was the most delicious and hearty pasta salad-perfect for a hot summer meal! The dressing has the right amount of soy sauce, sugar and vinegar-not too sweet or too tart. The pasta soaked up the dressing giving it lots of flavor. It’s a very colorful salad full of chicken, greens, vegetables and fresh herbs. The addition of cilantro, ginger and sesame oil gave this the “Asian” flavor I wanted in the salad.

Delicious! I didn't have white wine vinegar, and the store I shop at does not carry it, so I used plain white vinegar, it was still delicious, though I'm sure the white wine vinegar would have been even better. I added a few chow-mein noodles for extra texture. I am only giving the recipe 4 stars, becuase I do think its lacking something. Grapes? Strawberries? Pineapple? Not quite sure which extra ingredient would make it perfect, but it could use just a little extra "zing".

Good, but needs more veggies! I scaled the recipe back to 3 servings and it still made alot!! I added fresh picked grape tomatoes and didn't add the full amount of spinach. There seems to be too much dressing, but after refrigerating the pasta absorbs it. Next time I will make extra dressing and pour on the salad before serving.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.